Update:

A Twitter user (thanks @zakogdo!) reached out to Flying High for clarification. The censorship only exists in the Steam trailer for the purpose of Valve’s comfort. The game and other promotional media will seemingly remain uncensored.

In the interest of transparency, you can find the article in its original state below.

Original Headline: Anime mecha action game The Scramble Vice could be censored in the west

The previously announced mecha side-scroller The Scramble Vice appears to be censored in the west.

One Twitter user (thanks Mangalawyer) pointed out that one particular sprite was censored in the Steam trailer..

For a brief second we see the game’s heroine Sakuragi Kei topless from the back. This kind of titillation isn’t uncommon in anime from the ’80s and ’90s, and the entire game seems like a call back to that aesthetic.

Here you can see the two sprites side by side. The left is from the original Japanese trailer. The right image is from the Steam page as accessed from the United States.

It’s unclear if this change was made by the publisher Flyhigh Works or if it was required by Steam in order to not age restrict the store page. At the time of writing we haven’t tested it using a Japanese VPN.

In the Mature Content Warning for the game, the developer of The Scramble Vice warns players the game “contains some nudity”.

It’s possible the censorship could just be for the trailer and may not affect the actual game.

The Scramble Vice is expected to release for PC (via Steam) sometime in 2024.